Same for me, same. I spent years writing trading engines in C and C++ and have been rejected real quick because I don't use some modern template feature. A lot

Same for me, same. I spent years writing trading engines in C and C++ and have been rejected real quick because I don't use some modern template feature. A lot of stuff like the newer memory model and auto pointers are awesome but some of that template stuff is not for me when I look at the thousands of lines of assembly language, or worse still, huge chunks of code the linker does not throw out and is actually gets executed. I think it's just a 'flex' to attract candidates for particular culture fit so maybe, as another comment pointed out, it's probably best to steer clear of places that don't care for your real world experience in the field.